Milka Minis (Sainsbury’s) [...and a Question]

This is just a brief mini post to let you know about a new product, that isn’t really new to the taste buds. I was still rather pleased to find these in Sainsbury’s, being the Milka fan girl that I am. They are obviously for the Christmas and are miniature Milka bars in a handing sharing box.
Flavours include: Dime/Daim, Hazelnut, Milk Chocolate and Chocolate Cream. All of course are gorgeous, and I didn’t need to wait for Christmas as an excuse to try them.

The second part of this post is inspired by all the Christmas goodies on the shelves. There are a lot, but quite a few are like the one above, not really new just differently packaged. So my question is – “What would you like us to review this Christmas?” Have you seen an interesting Seasonal chocolate bar? A weird flavour of Crisps? A Christmassy beer? If you have any suggestions do please let us know. There is an email address at the top of the page, or leave simply a comment below, we would love to hear from you.

Milka is a Swiss brand of chocolate that has gained popularity worldwide for several reasons:

1. High-Quality Ingredients: Milka is known for using high-quality ingredients in its chocolate products. The brand often uses Alpine milk, which is sourced from the Alpine region, known for its lush pastures. The use of quality milk contributes to the creamy and smooth texture of Milka chocolate.

2. Smooth and Creamy Texture: Milka chocolate has a distinctive smooth and creamy texture. This is achieved through a precise manufacturing process that involves grinding the cocoa particles to a fine consistency. The result is a velvety chocolate that melts in your mouth.

3. Unique Taste: Milka has a unique and recognizable flavor profile. The combination of milk chocolate and Alpine milk gives it a sweet and mild taste, which is distinct from other chocolate brands. The balance of sweetness and creaminess appeals to a broad range of consumers.

4. Heritage and Tradition: Milka has a long history, dating back to its founding in Switzerland in 1901. Over the years, it has become associated with quality, tradition, and a sense of nostalgia for many consumers. The brand's commitment to maintaining its heritage can contribute to the perception of its chocolate as being special.

5. Variety of Flavors and Products: Milka offers a wide range of chocolate products, including various flavors, fillings, and formats. This variety allows consumers to find a Milka product that suits their individual preferences, whether they prefer classic milk chocolate or variations with nuts, fruit, or other additions.

6. Distinctive Packaging: Milka's iconic purple packaging is easily recognizable and contributes to the brand's identity. The visually appealing design can create a positive association with the product even before it's tasted.

Chicago Town - Take-Away: The X-Factor Pizza (Sainsbury’s)

I absolutely love the concept of a stuffed crust pizza, but have to say that on occasion the thought of extra cheese with an already cheese top pizza can seem a bit much. Chicago Town have solved this and instead of putting cheese inside their crust they have stuffed it with barbeque sauce, genius.
The ‘X-Factor’ special, is essentially a meat feast pizza and comes complete with ham, pepperoni, sausage all on a pizza base already topped with barbecue sauce and mozzarella. Inside the box was an easy bake sheet to ensure that the pizza cooked evenly, and I think it came out looking rather tasty!
The sauce inside the crust (yes, I started backwards with my pizza slice) was really flavoursome, and oniony, but curiously not as sweet as I had been expecting. When the meat tastes were mixed in it came alive, and was enhanced by further pieces of onion in the topping. Each piece of meat was juicy and flavoursome and the sausage pieces were a particularly treat. You certainly couldn’t complain about the amount of topping either, it was lovely and generous.
All in all this was a fab choice of pizza, and if you are eating in watching X-Factor, I heartily recommend it. Consider it some compensation for the early departure of Wagner – I had him as my favourite to win. :-D

19 Gales Fresh Hand Made Pork Pie [by @NLi10] (19 Gales Farm Shop - Birmingham University Campus)

Hooray for Independence!

No - it isn't the 4th of July, but if you have an Xbox 360 and head towards the Indie Games section (it's tucked away near the back under the download games, hiding after the demos) then you'll spot that there are lots of new toys to play with over the next few weeks. Essentially all the top games designers on there got together and decided that they would all release a game in early December - ranging from 65p to a massive £3.20 (80 to 400 points in M$). There is even a list at http://www.indiegames-uprising.com/ so you can spot the gems more easily.

Now regular viewers are probably wondering what this has to do with food & snacks? And you'd be right - the world of gaming and the world of snack foods don't often collide.

The point of all these games is that they are homemade by small groups of people and sold to people who like good, unusual stuff - just like a big global online Farm Shop! Now I don't know whether all nations have these, but here in the UK they are essentially small cooperatives where a group of people get together and buy local produce and make their own and sell them from stalls. The one I'm featuring this week is 19 Gales Farm Shop at Birmingham University - so successful that they have their own store (see pic). The goodies on offer are not ones that you can go out and buy nationally usually (except for maybe the fantastic Apple & Rhubarb drink I had last week which was from here) but I hope that you can find a similar thing local to you to support.


Today's item is this 'medium size' pork pie. You can't really see the detail on this as I foolishly chose to photograph it with the wrapping still on but it looks appetising and is cheap for the size. I ate it for lunch and almost couldn't finish it (I think you may be supposed to share this size, but it's nice to be indulgent sometimes). As you'd expect the meat is chunky and fresh, and the jelly around the edges is fantastic. It had an odd consistency as if the ingredients hadn't been completely stirred as one side had much less pepper than the other, but that just added to its charm. The pastry was lighter than I expected and while still not sweet had a more desert like quality to it than I'd expected.

I'm a regular when I'm over that part of town and have a few more things from the store to share so will be back on Sunday.

by @NLi10

Goan Extra Hot Lime [By Spectre] (Holy Cow)

Cinabar’s mom cooked up some fishcakes for dinner the other day with chips and peas. It seemed like an ideal opportunity to try this Goan Extra Hot Lime sauce from Holy Cow. On cracking open the bottle the light green sauce had a distinctive lime smell to it. I cleared a space on my plate and the thick liquid oozed out of the bottle like some extraterrestrial green slime. Cinabar was first to try the sauce, dipping a chip in and dropping it daintily into her gob only to jump up and down stating it was far too hot. This made me worry of course, but in for a penny and all that... I decided to try a piece of salmon fishcake dipped in the extra hot green sauce first. The sauce complemented the fishcake well, with the lime bringing out the flavour of the fish and the Habanero chilli giving my tongue and lips a welcome burn. There is also a hint of ginger and parsley in the taste. Looking on the back of the bottle other ingredients include cumin and turmeric. On finishing the first salmon fishcake I dumped several green coloured chips into my mouth, and decided to try the tuna fishcake with the sauce. Again the lime brought the flavour of the fish out quite well, but I must admit the salmon did taste better with the sauce. By now I was sweating profusely and my mouth was happily on fire, but slightly dreading finishing the meal. Never fear though, I still had several chips left and another salmon fishcake! I even dipped some bread and butter into the green chilli sauce and was surprised just how well the lime liquid went with everything. A pint of Boddingtons cooled me throughout the meal and afterwards I was quite glad to see a caramel pudding to ease my overheating tongue. Roll on the next fish meal, but then again, it does say on the back of the bottle to try this sauce with anything!

By Spectre

Happy Dec 1st Everyone!

Today is the start of advent calendar season! Not sure which advent calendar you have at home, but I hope it is a good one. Our friends at Dorset Cereals, wanted us to let you know about a fab competition they have running on their website, in honour of the Christmas countdown. Do have a click below if you want to have a look, and you might even be lucky enough to win a prize. ;-)